KokoFlix Videoblog Archive

Michael grew up with Koko; they learned sign language together, they both painted beautifully, and they became like brother and sister. But Michael didn't come to live with Koko until he was 3 1/2 years old. As an infant in Africa, he lost his parents at the hands of poachers, in the illegal bushmeat trade, and Read more

Koko blows over a blade of grass that she holds stretched between her two thumbs, to make a whistling sound. Sometimes she produces a nice high-pitched whistling sound, and sometimes she doesn't. Either way, Koko has fun trying. She even signs "good" to indicate she approves of her efforts. How did Koko learn to do a Read more

It's called "cultural transmission" when culturally relevant knowledge is passed from one person to another, or from parent to offspring, or from culture to culture.
Will Koko transmit the sign language she learned from our culture to her baby (if we're fortunate enough to help her have one) — without any Read more

This is a brief introduction to the late silverback gorilla, Michael, who grew up with Koko, learned sign language with Koko, painted with Koko, loved Koko as a sister, and passed away in 2000 at the young age of 27. MIchael's life continues to be an inspiration to us all, and we've even named a sanctuary after him: Read more

One of Koko's caregivers has just had a baby, and has been keeping the baby close to her in a frontal papoose. Koko emulates her caregiver by holding one of her baby dolls close to her chest too. Koko would love to be a gorilla mom, and takes every opportunity to practice, as you never know when the time will Read more

On July 4th, 2008, Koko celebrated her 37th birthday — her 36th with the Gorilla Foundation. Among other birthday surprises, she enjoyed a special birthday lunch, prepared by the staff, but designed by Koko herself (she dictated the menu). In this video you’ll see Koko enjoying some of her favorites from the Read more

Koko's caregivers outdid themselves this year and transformed her outdoor facility into a virtual "Carnival." This video clip shows a few of the carnival "areas." From the Popcorn Area (which is located near the High Wire area, and was intended for Ndume) to the Snow Cone Area (fake paper snowcones filled with nuts), Read more

In this public service announcement, Koko makes a plea to save her species from extinction. Koko is keenly aware of the plight of gorillas in Africa, as Dr. Patterson and other staff have discussed it with her. It is not the number of gorillas left in Africa that troubles Koko, it is the way they are being hunted Read more

This is a rare glimpse of Dr. Ron Cohn, Gorilla Foundation co-founder and video-documentarian, filming Koko — as filmed by Dr. Penny Patterson. Koko seems to enjoy "typing" on Penny's computer laptop in a way that "sounds" like real typing, but is not. Does this mean that Koko is interested in actually learning how Read more

Ndume celebrated his 27th birthday on Oct. 13, 2008. The Gorilla Foundation's caregivers decided to send him to the "moon" for this special occasion. They decorated his outdoor enclosure as well as his indoor suite with spacey apparatus such as rocket ships, moon rocks and alien-looking food. Ndume was thrilled, as Read more